Political Quotes

“I had an amendment at the desk which I intend to withdraw out of appreciation for the way in which Chairman Regula and Ranking Member Obey have preserved the Porter initiative to combat obesity and overweight in the American population. Originally Mr. Porter, our former colleague, for the first time placed $125 million in the 2001 budget for a program directed against obesity and overweight in children. My amendment would have sought full funding. I am very appreciative that the chairman and ranking member have kept this initiative from being defunded by placing $85 million in the 2002 budget. This is a major legacy of our former colleague, John Porter. It is something he worked on for some years and in his last year I worked with him. This initiative marks the first time the Congress has given more than token funding to the most serious, widespread health problem in the United States today, and that is overweight and obesity. Fifty percent of Americans are either overweight or are obese.”